Rail-spiking device for railways



N.EKBERGP I R'A-IL SPIKING DEVICE FOR RAILWAY-S. I APPL|CAT |ON FILEDJUNE 15-. 1921- v 1,395,703. Patented Nov. 1,1921.

2 SHEETSSHET I.

v va: F I kin a N. EKBERG. RA-IL SP IKING DEVICE FOR RAILWAYSLAPPLICATION. FILED JUNE 15, I921.

Patented Nov. 1, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

FIG. 8.

UNITED STATES PATENT ossics.

NELS EKBERG, or sT. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

I Application filed June 15,

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NELs EKBERG, a citizen of the United States,residing at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota,have invented a new and useful Rail-spiking Device for Railways, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to railway track laying devices and moreparticularly to devices for spiking the railsof a track to the ties. Theobject is to provide a device by means of which spikes can bedriven moreaccurately and rapidly into the ties than has hitherto been possible bymerely. driving the spikes with a spiking sledge and by which methodspikes are often driven into the ties crooked and must be withdrawn andthe driving repeated.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a top view of one end of my spike driving devices and theframe or truck of same, with some minor parts omitted, straddlinga railto be spiked.

.Fig. 2 is a vertical elevationv showing frame bars andrail 'in sectionas on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an edge view of the lower part of the frame in Fig. 1, showingthe rail ga ing and riding means.

ig. 4 is a top view on a reduced scale showing a portion of track andthe details omitted in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation on'line 5-5 in Fig. 1.

-Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view on line 6-6 of Fig.4.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail view on line 77 of Fig. 2. i

Fig. 8 is a detail of the lifting means used on spike driving'plungers.

Referring-tothe drawing by reference numerals, 9 are the ties, 10 therails of an ordinary railway track. I have shown my device as applied toone rail only, it being readily understood that the device rides on bothrails and the mechanism illustrated is merelyduplicated'at the. oppositerail (not shown).

My device is mounted on a rectangular frame consisting of'transversebars 11, 12 across the track and bars 13 and 14 arranged laterally withrelation to each rail.

The frame moves along therails on rollers 15 in brackets 16, which aresecured as at 17 in Fig. 3 to frame bars 11 and 12, the latter havingalso slots 18 (see Fig. 1) ad- RAIL-SPIKING nnvr'on FOR RAILWAYS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 1, 1921. 1921. serial No. 477,714.

jacent each bracketlG, cap screws 19 being inserted in them and engagingthreaded holes in inverted vL-shaped guides 20 (see Fig. 3) engaging thesides of the rail bead and acting as a rail gage, the slots 18 ofcourse, permitting adjustment according to width of rail bead.

On the frame bars 13, 14 I mount two oppositely arranged brackets 21held in place by bolts 22 passing through slots 23 in said brackets andslots 24 in the frame bars permitting longitudinal and transverseadjustment of the brackets as desired. Each bracket 21 has a rectangularvertical socket 25 with an outwardly extending arm 26 in the outer endof which is secured a vertical shaft 27 of a stationary drum 28. Thesocket 25 holds a vertical rectangular tube 29 the upper end of which isreduced forming a shoulder 30 on which an upper bracket 31 rests andembraces the reduced top portion of the tube. Said bracket has a bearing32 for the upperend of the shaft 27.

Each socket25 is provided with a horizontal bar 33 having a lateral arm34 overlapping upon the'bar 33 of the opposite bracket. I Said bars andarms have crossing slots35 with bolts 36 therein to permit'considerablevariation in adjustment of the brackets for a purpose presently to be described. The upper brackets are correspondingly constructed with lateralarms 33*, transverse arms 34*, slots 35 and bolts 36 (see Figs. 2 and4)."

Within each drum 28 I provide a rotary magazine 37 for-railway spikes,rotating on shaft 27 and having a number of radially arranged pockets 38tapered downwardly. Standard railway spikes 39 are placed "one in eachof said pockets point downward as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the pointsresting on the bottom of drum 28. The drum is rotated until one of thesockets 38 with its spike 39 is adjacent the tube 29 at which point thebottom of drums 28 is notched out as at 40 (in Fig. 2) leaving nosupport for the spike which immediately drops downward following-theslanting face 41 of socket 25 and through a vertical slot 42 in tube 29(see spike 39 in Fig. 2) thence continuing down within tube 29 toposition 39 the point of the spike stopping against surface of tie9'adjacent the rail 10. A plunger rod 43 is inserted into the tube 29its lower end in contact with the head of the spike, the

upper end' having a head 44 (see Fig.

A few sledge hammer blows onhead 44 f the plunger drives the spikestraight and accurately into the tie to position 39 (Fig. 2) holding therail in the proper manner.

It is obvious that when the spikes are to be driven opposite each otherthe magazines are oppositely arranged as shown in full lines in Figs. 1and 2, but if the spikes are to be staggered as 39 in Fig. 4 it ismerely necessary to loosen bolts 22, 36 and 36 and slide the magazinestoposition desired as 28 in Fig. 4 and then tightening the nuts of saidbolts. The transverse slots 23 in brackets 21, and slots 35, 35 permitthe magazines 28 with tubes 29 tobe spread so that spikes can be driveninto ties in proper relation to rail flanges according to the width ofthe latter. To drive a spike into a tie properly I provide the followingconstruction Thehollow core of tube 29 is of 'a shape to readily permitthe head 39 of arailway spiketo slide in but to start the point of thespike right an opening at the bottomof the tube must. be only largeenough for the shank of 'the spike 39 to go through and this I providefor by leaving outer wall 29 in e V tact, tapering the side wallsdownwardly as at 29" to the approximate Width of the spike shank, thefourth wall terminating at the upper end of the tapered portion where ahinge. pin is inserted fora spring pressed apron 46'normallypressedagainst the edges'of the'tapered walls and guiding that'side of thespike shank nearest the rail. The opposite or outer side of the spikeshank is guided by a depending tongue 47hinged at 48in the outer wall ofthe tube 29 and the other two sides-of the spike shank. are guided bysimilar depending tongues 49 hinged at 50 in the opposite tapered walls.The latter are spring: pressed inwardly by fiat springs 51 on outside oftube, secured at 52 and the lower end of each-having a pin 53 projectinginwardly through an aperture andyits inner end' pressing against tongueThe; lower end of Ytube'jand apron 46 are engaged by twofiatbars54, 55projecting beyond the tube with their ends, and another similarzbar 56is spaced some distance therefrom; Bar 55 is attached to a channelshaped member 57 straddling the tube and saidchannel lSllGlCl in placeby a pin .48 which is also a fulcrum for tongue 47;. Near'the outer-endsofbars 54,. 55, 56

are apertures through whichiare passed bolts 58'witha'COIDPIQSS'IOILCOll spring. 59 on each,

. between bars 55 and 56' tending-to clamp apron 46 against the taperedportion of the tube; .A shorter central pin 60 passes through-'ape-rturesin b'ars: 55 and -56 and in tube-29 its "inner. end pressingtongue 47 against .the spike. A collar 6l'on said 'pin 60* limits-the:action ofa spring. 62ian'd stops 61 limit the compression of springs.58, Re-

ferring to Figs. 2 and 7' a Will be readily seen that when a spike is inposition 39 and plunger'43 is driven down with a sledge,

L-shaped pawl 64 (see Figs. 2 and '6) piv-.

oted at 65 on onesideof the tube and swinging'under the lower end ofplunger through a slot 66 when so desired.

To turn magazines around for feeding the spikes into the tubes I providean arm 67 with one end pivotedvon the upper end of shaft 27, a lug 68'projecting downward from its under side, a ratchet pawl 70 piv-.otallyengaging said lug at 69 (see Fig.6) and its lower end engagingteeth or other projections 71 of which there is one for each spikepocket 38 on the magazine and. ar ranged in a circle concentric withsaid pockets. 7

The outer ends of said levers 67 are each pivotally connected to theextremities of extensible connecting rods 72 the inneren'ds of whichare'connected to-a hand. lever '73 pivoted as at 74 (Fig; 4) to anysuitable part of the device. By'pulling on: lever7 3,

the two magazinesadjacent one railcan be turned simultaneously (aftertherframe has been moved along on the track to the next tie to bespiked) until .twomore spikes drop into position. The pawls 64 arethenpulled out from under the plungers-which are then ready to drive thespikes'down.

In addition to the operation: of this device already disclosed itmightbe added that for rapid track laying a supply of spikes can be kept onthe frame between the spiking mechanisms forthe two rails of a track,one man feeding spikesinto the magazines and operating the hand levers73 as fast'as two men can drive the spikes. Another advantage ofthe'device is that it isunnecessary' forthe men who drive the spikes tostoop forward while making the blows, since the plunger heads comeconsiderably higherup than thespike' heaols;

The device reachingacrossa pair of rails and having. the guiding means-20'straddling: eachlrailydt is evident'that the-two rails forming atrack are automatically arrangedv in para'llel POSltlOIlLELIld'SPI'GELd.to the desired gage as fastLas-they' are spiked down; p

What I- claim is: f I 1. In a spiking.device 'forrailway tracks, aframemovable on the track rails, means carried by the frame for guidingspikesmeans comprising for each rail a vertically disposed guiding tubeat each side of the rail, said tubes having each a side opening intowhich to feed the spikes one at a time, means for carrying the spikesinto said openings, a spike driving plunger slidable in each tube andprojecting always above the same; said spike feeding means consisting ofa nonrotatable hopper near the side opening of each tube and having abottom opening leading into the side opening of the tube, a rotarycylindrical magazine inside each hopper and provided with periphericallyarranged spike pockets, and means for rotating the two magazines at eachrail simultaneously by steps each of which brings a filled spike pocketto register with the adjacent spike guiding tube.

2. The structure specified in claim 1, said spike guiding meansconsisting of rectangular vertical tubes having each a contracted lowerportion with spring pressed yieldable side members contacting with the'spike and its head as the spike is being driven down, and means in eachtube for driving the spike.

3. The structure specified in claim 2 and means automatically limitingthe yielding movement of the spring pressed parts.

4. The structure specifiediin claim 1 and means for adjusting thehoppers and the spike dropping tubes so as to bring the driven spikesinto staggered position in 1ongitudi nal direction of the rail.

5. In a device of the kind described one or more spike dropping tubes, aspike driving plunger slidable in each tube, said plunger having nearits top a lateral handle, and said tube having a lateral aperture with apivoted hook adapted to engage the bottom end of the plunger and holdthe latter in a partly raised position, and means for feeding one spikeat a time into the tube below the raised plunger.

6. The structure specified in claim at, the rotating means of themagazines having adjustable sliding joints to make it adjustable to saidmoving of the magazines and tubes. 7

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

NELS EKBERG.

